Reach
by sweetcheesecake
Summary: Life's a trainwreck, here, there, everywhere. You'll travel the world and find that nothing's better than staying here, by my side. We can help each other repiece our broken lives. SasuSaku
1. Catch me if you can

Stop chasing. No matter how fast you run, you'll never catch me.

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**Reach**

After they had finished their training today, he expected to be dragged into a ramen celebration again by Naruto and Sakura, like every time they had finished training.

Kakashi had left as soon as he had dismissed them, succeeding in escaping the ramen fest. Sasuke was not so lucky as Naruto had grabbed and clinged on to his arm as soon as they were finished. He winced as he Naruto opened his mouth wide to scream "Ramen" right next to his delicate ears. The annoyed boy closed his eyes, expecting Sakura to join in with the merry chorus. After Naruto's scream had deafened his ears and reverberated out, he waited still for Sakura's answering cheer. Surprisingly, he did not hear one.

He opened his eyes in surprise, turning to his pink haired teammate. Naruto was also surprised and his lips curbed down in a small frown.

"Ne, Sakura-chan! Aren't you going to celebrate with us?" he asked, waving his arms up and down, and causing Sasuke to jiggle unpleasantly at the contact.

Sasuke shrugged quickly out of Naruto's grip. "Annoying," he muttered.

Sakura flashed Naruto a bright smile and said, "You and Sasuke-kun go ahead, I'm going to train some more."

Naruto's mouth dropped to the ground and Sasuke's eyebrows lifted.

EHH??? SAKURA-CHAN SAY WHAT?

"Sakura-chan, we just finished training! Aren't you hungry? Let's go eat!" Naruto shrieked, coming over to tug on Sakura's arm.

She smiled at him while worming out of his grip and patted his arm comfortingly, then whipped out a furious, glaring pink lunch box. "I came prepared!" She exclaimed, proudly holding it up.

Naruto was momentarily blinded and Sasuke cringed back from the pure girl pink. Really, what was with her and pink? The color was rude and screamed LOOK AT ME, and annoyingly, she also had pink hair which meant he had to look at it _every_ _day_.

She stared at them for a while and then shrugged. "Here, Naruto, my treat. Enjoy your ramen, guys!" she said, shoving some coins into Naruto's hands. Naruto, seemingly confused, stared down at the money and then Sakura who was walking back toward the training arena. Her shoulders were slightly slumped like she was carrying a heavy burden.

Sasuke sighed. "I'm leaving dobe. Hope you choke on your ramen," he said, walking the opposite direction away from Sakura.

Naruto's head whipped back and forth, watching his two best friends walk away from him and each other and sighed.

Naruto and Sakura were very close and no one else would have noticed the strain on her bright smile even if they were watching closely.

But Naruto could tell.

_What's wrong Sakura-chan?_

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Aim high, reach for the sky, either way, we'll still eventually die, so why not have some fun? Guys?

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It had become a routine, so Sasuke had been thrown off for a few days, not used to not having to go along with his friend's expedition to the ramen stand every day after training.

But now, there was a new routine. Everyday, Sakura would refuse to come, each day wanting to train extra and he, Sasuke, could go home and be alone by himself.

He found that he did not enjoy it as much as being with the loudmouth and the over exuberant pinky.

He also noticed with increasing alarm the fatigue Sakura was radiating. It seemed she had trained very hard the day before and had no energy left the next day to train in their scheduled sessions. Kakashi had felt a little sorry for Sakura and hinted that she should take a break.

She had thrown a tantrum, surprisingly, shocking both their sensei and her teammates. After that, she had picked fights on them with a vengeance, throwing her punches with extra oomph and wrecking havoc on the arena.

He sighed in annoyance. Her skill was not increasing anyhow; he failed to see why she insisted on continuing to train extra. She was dragging the rest of them down.

He proceeded to voice his thoughts aloud after they had finished training.

"Come eat ramen with us, today," he said uninterestedly, not looking at her. Naruto and Sakura stared at him. He kept his face hidden, not wanting to meet their incredulous stares.

"Eh…that's okay, I brought my own lunch already. I'm gonna stay and train," Sakura said slowly, confused.

Sasuke's head whipped around and his eyes pierced hers.

"I didn't ask for your permission. You're coming with us," he said and then strode quickly over to her and started dragging her toward the direction of the ramen stand.

Naruto stood by the sidelines, gaping. Sasuke's eyes turned colder when he realized how light she was. Suddenly, he stopped and turned to face her surprised face.

"Have you been eating?" he demanded.

Her eyes widened and she nodded yes. "Of course, Sasuke-kun."

He disregarded her and quickly stole the lunch box out of her hands and opened it up. He frowned when he saw all there was was a water bottle and a roll of sushi.

He turned to glare at her.

"What?!"

"You're not eating enough," he deadpanned.

She shrugged out of his grip and quickly took her lunch box back, shaking her head. "Really, Sasuke-kun, you're acting weird today. See you guys tomorrow," she said, turning away.

His hand shot out and grabbed her arm, jerking her to a stop. "Stop wasting your time. It's no use no matter how much extra you train. You'll still always be weak," he said mercilessly.

Naruto smacked his forehead and peeked from between his fingers, scared for Sakura's reaction.

"You think what you like, Sasuke-kun, but one day, I'll be as strong as you and Naruto," she said determinedly.

Naruto had to hold back a snicker and Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her words.

"You never will be and you know it. Give it up," he said.

She turned to glare at him for the first time that day, her happy mood starting to break.

"Why—"

"You're wasting your energy and you can barely keep your eyes open, I can see it. You're using all your energy just to stay standing," he commented.

She bristled.

"I have plenty of energy left to train and just leave me alone!" she said and shrugged out of his grip, stomping away.

He stared after her. He didn't like that she walked away from him.

"Fight me."

She continued walking away, ignoring him. She was forced to skid to a stop to avoid crashing into Sasuke who had suddenly appeared in front of her. She looked up irritably up at him.

"What's your problem, Sasuke-kun?" she said with an edge to her voice.

He remained staring down at her, his eyes dark and unreadable. Suddenly, he jabbed at her swiftly and she was forced to stumble back to avoid being punched in the stomach.

She looked at him in outrage.

"Sasuke-kun, what are you doing?"

"Beat me, or you're coming to ramen with us."

She narrowed her eyes. "Fine, if that's the way you want it," she ground out and flew at him.

He dodged easily and she stumbled forward, turning ungracefully. She glared at him. Dropping her lunch box, she reached into her pack and threw a series of shuriken at him.

Naruto watched in shock.

"Oi, teme! Stop! Don't bother Sakura if she wants to train!"

He did not heed the blonde.

"Sakura-chan! Just take a break today, okay? Sasuke-teme's a jerk, don't mind him!

She did not listen.

It ended too fast for Sakura, she ended up with her hands twisted behind her back, held forcefully to Sasuke's taller body.

She wriggled and twisted her arms, struggling to come free.

He only tightened his grip, his expression cold, not even triumphant. He stared down at the pink head.

She strained her head around to try to glare at him. "Sasuke-kun, if you don't let go now, you're going to regret it," she said, breathing unevenly.

He snorted. "If you twist your hands anymore, you'll break them," he said dangerously.

Sakura jerked in frustration. "Let go, Sasuke!"

He stiffened when he realized she had dropped the affectionate –kun and his heart twanged uncomfortably for a second.

"Struggling is futile. You're too weak. Give it up."

She almost shrieked in frustration. "I'm saying this one more time. Let. Go."

He only roughly pulled her closer to him. "Stop trying so hard for something you'll never reach."

Her eyes narrowed, fully provoked.

He didn't expect what happened next. He had not known she was strong enough to do it.

She broke her wrists.

Shocked at feeling the bones crunch beneath his hands, he immediately let go and felt her whirl around quickly, her leg coming up and kicking him painfully in the ribs.

He stumbled back, still staring at her in shock, hands flying up to his side, feeling the tenderness already forming.

That girl kicks hard.

Naruto stared too. He started to run toward Sakura but he saw Sasuke flash quickly to her side. Before she could react and kick him again, he took her hands gently and examined them.

Sasuke stared in disgusted shock down at her hands. They were both twisted at an unusual angle and his stomach flipped uncomfortably. She tried to draw them away but Sasuke, reacting on instinct grasped her wrists tightly.

_Don't let me go_

_Don't go_

She let out a cry of pain and he immediately let go. She stumbled back, bumping into Naruto. Naruto steadied her and rubbed her shoulders comfortingly and glared at Sasuke.

He turned Sakura to him who let him and he held her arms gently, looking at her wrists.

"Look what you did, you bastard!" he shouted at Sasuke, looking in horror at her mangled wrists.

Sasuke, recovering from his shock, crossed his arms and turned away.

"It's not my fault she's so foolish," he muttered childishly. He mentally slapped himself in the head. Why was he acting like this?

Naruto looked up and caught Sakura's expression. He looked quickly away, not wanting to embarrass her.

"You're the one who forced her to fight with you!"

"Hn. And I was right. She's still weak."

Sakura's head jerked.

"And you think you are strong, Sasuke-kun?" she asked in a soft voice.

He stiffened.

"Do you feel better when you pick on people weaker than yourself so you can feel better? Because you still haven't achieved your revenge? Do you feel like a failure?" she went on with an edge in her voice.

Shocked at the venom she was directing at him, he whirled around, furious, his sharigan automatically activating.

"Shut up," he hissed. He winced when he saw her hands again and then looked up to see her face scrunched up in pain. He turned quickly, looking away.

Naruto, worried tried to push Sakura along. "Come on, Sakura-chan, let's go to the hospital."

"Revenge isn't the answer to everything, Sasuke-kun," she said softly, sadly in goodbye, letting Naruto lead her in the direction of the hospital.

"Revenge is the _only_ way," he muttered, after she and Naruto had disappeared from sight.

He stared after her, contemplating her words and then shook his head.

She was foolish and weak.

But then he remembered how she had freed herself from him, breaking her wrists in the process and blanched at the thought. It would have been hard to twist against him in the first place; he was holding her very tightly, and it must have taken a lot of willpower to actually break them.

_Do you feel like a failure?_

Sakura…have I failed you?

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I cannot love you without hurting you. I cannot live without loving you. Tell me, love, what should I do?

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He did not visit her.

She was a waste of his time. At least, that's what he liked to think.

She didn't show up to training for a few days and then one day she was back, her wrists all healed with intense medical healing from the hospital.

Her appearance was a bit frazzled, her hair messy and unkempt, her eyes a bit duller than he was used to. Her complexion was a shade paler but her expression was jubilant.

She waved cheerily at him.

"Good morning, Sasuke-kun!" she chirruped, waving at him. Not expecting him to answer, she turned to Naruto and they started a lively banter.

Sasuke watched from the sidelines and he felt a foreign emotion settle in the bottom of his stomach. He watched enviously as the two of them had fun together, seeming to forget he was there at all.

He bristled at himself, telling himself to stop thinking stupid things. He wasn't jealous of the dobe.

Later, after training had been finished and after Kakashi confirmed the details of Sakura and Sasuke's fight, they were free to go.

Kakashi was baffled by the fact Sakura had managed to land a kick on the famous Uchiha Sasuke.

Sakura's expression turned frigid by that and Kakashi quickly covered up his mistake.

"I-I mean, I knew you had it in you, Sakura-chan!" he said quickly and then chuckled nervously and disappeared in a cloud of smoke, his right hand waving farewell.

Sakura remained silent after he had left, her expression not as happy as before.

Naruto hesitantly tried to get her to come to ramen.

"Ne…Sakura-chan? Do…do you want to come eat—"

She looked at him, past him and cut him off. "I don't want to, Naruto."

Naruto nodded sadly. He turned to Sasuke. "Let's go, teme."

Sasuke regarded Sakura for a moment. The girl, for once, she looked truly lost. The emotion in her eyes, he couldn't quite understand it, but he knew, she was breaking inside.

How pathetic. Crying over being weak. It was her fault in the first place.

"Hn."

The two turned from her and walked to the ramen stand.

Sakura watched them leave and instead of heading back to the training area, she instead sat down on the ground, her knees bent and her arms hugging her knees to herself.

She sat there, watching the backs of her two best friends go farther and farther away.

She hated it. Always having to watch their backs, having to be protected.

Left behind.

She stared for a long while, still watching even after they had disappeared from sight. She sat there, eyes dry, but heart crying inside. She still sat there, even after the sun had started to shift, the shadow of herself changing, the sky turning darker.

She did not mind.

It wasn't like she had anywhere to go.

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He watched her train, hidden in the shadow of the tree's leaves, his hair obscuring his eyes from view.

He sighed.

Her form was all wrong and her technique was horrendous. It's a good thing she had good chakra control.

But later, he noted that she had fierce determination and even though her energy was clearly waning, she still plowed on with unlimited willpower.

He found himself thinking that she looked quite endearing, fighting stubbornly, even though everything was futile.

It was becoming quite dark and Sasuke's stomach was starting to grumble. She had been at it for a few hours and his eyes narrowed. Did she even eat dinner?

Shouldn't she be headed home by now?

After a while, she finally burned out thoroughly and flopped to the ground, exhausted. She rolled onto her stomach and then put her head on top of her hands, looking out to the horizon.

Her hair spilled over and covered her vision. She blew half-heartedly, the pink strands flying up and then falling back down.

She sighed.

_How could you leave me?_

Suddenly, she was alerted to someone else's presence.

"Your moves are poorly executed," said a smooth, bored voice.

She closed her eyes, ignoring him. She was too tired today to rise to the bait.

He raised his eyebrows at her. Finally, after a moment of silence, he couldn't resist asking. "Why do you insist on training, Sakura?" he asked, truly confused.

He waited patiently for her to answer.

"Why do you insist on getting revenge?" she asked, her voice soft and gentle.

He narrowed his eyes. "Answer my question."

She shifted, sitting up and tucking her knees to her chest, still staring out at the horizon, not looking at him. He stood behind her, watching her back. She seemed so far away.

She still did not answer.

"He killed my family and I want to avenge them. I'm an avenger, Sakura," he said coldly.

She still did not speak and he found that her silence was even more annoying than her loud voice.

"You're so annoying!" he said.

She finally stood, her movements tired and slow, like she had the weight of a thousand suns upon her. When she finally turned to face him, he was overwhelmed by the sadness in her eyes.

He turned away. "Revenge is the only way," he muttered.

She regarded his still form. "Will you be happy, Sasuke-kun?" her voice, sad and quiet, wise.

His eyes widened and he whirled, confused.

Her green ones held his crimson ones, not letting go. He could see something that confused him, something that threw him off track. Like she could see inside of his heart, his soul.

He blinked. "It doesn't matter," he said, still looking at her.

She slowly shut her eyes. "Would your family have wanted you to be like this?"

Her words pierced him. They made his heart beat again, his feelings break out, his love be felt. He shied away from it and struck out ferociously.

"You don't know what it feels like, losing all of your family!" he shouted, his voice cracking. "You're always there, in your little pink Sakura world where everything's fine and easy and you have no worries! Stop pretending like you understand me because you don't! It's annoying!"

How did she do this? How did she make him lose control?

She opened her eyes and regarded him warily. She smiled brightly but this time, Sasuke could detect the strain in it.

"And you're weak Sasuke-kun," she blurted out. Her eyes widened in horror. She had not meant for that to come out but the words he had shouted at her…they cut deeply.

His eyes bulged. "What?" he hissed.

"I-I…I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun, I didn—"

"_What?" _he said again, his tone murderous. "You think _I'm_ weak? What about you? You can't do _anything_ by yourself, it's always me and Naruto watching out for _you_ and you call _me_ weak?"

"I never asked for you guys to—"

"Then why don't you get stronger?"

"I'M TRYING!" she exploded, her small form shaking violently. His eyes widened at her outburst. Sakura never shouts at him. He felt something foreign stir in his stomach again. He worked carefully to regain his control and shrugged.

"You're not fit to be a ninja," he said harshly, wanting her to back off and stop making him feel this way. She looked at him and shook her head slowly,

"You don't see it yet, do you Sasuke-kun?" she asked softly, her tone disappointed.

His eyes narrowed, trying to decipher what she was saying.

"You don't see that I'm stronger than you."

His mind almost overloaded with what she was saying. _WHAT?_

"Explain," he demanded.

She shook her head no.

He sneered unkindly. "You're stupid."

She snapped.

"Sasuke-kun, why do you want to become stronger?" she asked sweetly.

He looked at her as if she were mentally retarded.

"Revenge," he said in a bored tone.

"That's why you're weak, Sasuke-kun."

He glared at her, fuming dangerously but she did not break down. "You're mind is so clouded over by thoughts of revenge that you don't see what you have. You're fueled on by thoughts of killing your brother that you don't realize how weak you really are."

He experienced rage so great his vision turned red. She continued anyway, disregarding his furious expression.

"And because you feel insecure inside, you pick on those weaker than yourself to make yourself feel stronger."

His fists clenched. "That's…not…true," he hissed. His fists clenched and he started shaking. Her words were painful.

"You were too weak to even save your own family, to protect your own teammates and yourself," she went on, too mad at him to care.

His hand struck out and caught her on the face with a loud echoing crack.

His eyes widened as he saw her fall, her hands outstretched, catching herself on the ground, her head bent to the side, long pink hair covering her eyes. He stares, shocked at what he has done. He takes a quick step forward but her head shoots up, looking at him.

Her eyes pierce him through. Her green orbs are burning in fury, but underneath the anger, he caught a flash of pain. In the dim light, he can see a red handprint begin to form on her smooth pale skin. He stares in horror.

"Yeah, you're right Sasuke-kun. I don't understand you. I'm too stupid," she spit out, her lips cracking up into a malicious grin directed at him. He flinched. She went on.

"I'm weak, I'm foolish, I'm annoying, and I'm a burden," she said, her voice wavering, her smile trembling. Her eyes are starting to water and Sasuke can only stare in silence.

He cannot believe that he has struck her.

"I'm always doing something wrong, aren't I, Sasuke-kun? When eat ramen, I'm annoying and when I don't, I'm still annoying."

"When I talk, I'm annoying, and when I don't, I still manage to annoy you,"

"When I'm weak, I'm annoying, and when I try to be strong, I'm still foolish and annoying in your eyes."

"Annoying, annoying, annoying. Don't you get tired of saying it?" she said softly, her smile hurting her face.

"Will I never be good enough in your eyes?"

He stared at her.

_I have failed you, Sakura._

Her smile dropped and she sighed tiredly.

"You're a jerk, Sasuke."

Her words struck deep into his heart and he found to his horror that they hurt. Didn't she love him?

"And you're annoying," he shot out before he knew what he was doing. He bit back a curse. He couldn't help it. When she hurt him, he had to retaliate.

He saw her fists clench and her form shake. She shook her head slowly.

"Does my pain make you happy?" she asked softly.

His mind reeled back from her question and he saw that clearly, she was in pain. And he was the cause of it. This knowledge made his heart beat unpleasantly.

He quickly knelt down beside her and took her arm gently. He watched in amazement as her eyes flashed, a dozen emotions passing through until he saw fear cloud them. His own eyes darkened in sadness.

She's…afraid of me?

Quickly, she jerked her arm away but then saw how much her action hurt him. She stared confusedly at him. He bent his head, his hair obscuring his eyes from her.

Hesitantly, she put her arm gently on his shoulder. When he looked up, she gasped.

His eyes were so filled with sorrow that she wanted to cry.

"Sorry, Sasuke-kun," she said, her voice soft and remorseful. His eyes widened in surprise as she drew him into a loving hug. Her cheek grazed his and his chest swelled at the brisk touch. He was motionless; his arms limp at his side.

Why…is she comforting me?

Sakura sighed and then drew away and he wanted to protest the warmth leaving him.

She stood slowly and he reached out to her, wanting to say sorry, seeing the glaring handprint on her cheek but she waved softly and said goodbye.

With a swirl of white cherry blossoms, she was gone.

He was left there, reaching for the vanished presence of disguised love.

_Don't you love me?_

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Unaware of the sharpness of soft green grass, I cut my fingers on their thin blades. Unaware of the fragility of my heart, you cut open my heart in dismay.

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"Sasuke-teme!" Naruto complained, drawing out the name. "Where's Sakura-chan? She's never late!"

Sasuke did not reply but he frowned. Could it be possible she was avoiding him. He held back a wince, remembering the day before, when he had unintentionally struck her, consumed by rage.

_You can't protect your own teammates…_

Sorry, Sakura.

Sorry.

Sorry.

Goddamn it! Why couldn't he say it?

Finally, Kakashi-sensei arrived with a poof! and greeted them. He was even later than usual.

"Kakashi-sensei! Where's Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked impatiently, immediately coming to his teacher, tugging on his arm.

Kakashi regarded them for a while, his one eye solemn and sad.

"Sakura won't be joining us today, she's taking the day off," Kakashi said after a while. Then he took a breath. "All right then, let's ge—"

"Where is she?" Sasuke asked, cutting him off, his tone dark.

Kakashi turned to look at him, amazed. Naruto stared too. Sasuke never cared where Sakura was. Naruto quickly recovered and resumed on tugging on his sensei's arm.

"Yeah, sensei, where is she?"

Kakashi sighed, closing his eyes, his hand coming up to pinch his nose. "She's at a funeral."

Naruto and Sasuke were silent.

"Oh, poor Sakura-chan. Was it…her cousin, or her grandma?" Naruto ventured after a moment.

Kakashi only stared at them.

"Eh…her dog?"

Kakashi sighed again. "Her parents were annihilated on a mission about 2 weeks ago. They haven't been able to retrieve the bodies so they're holding the funeral now."

Naruto could only stare. Oh.

_Poor Sakura-chan_

Sasuke almost bowed over from the sudden arrow of pain he was experiencing. Is it possible to hurt for her? he thought.

_You don't know what it feels like, losing all of your family!_

Oh.

_Sorry, Sakura._

_Sorry._

_Sorry._

_Sorry._

-

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I'd say I'm sorry but it wouldn't fix anything. I'd say I hate you, but then I'd be lying. I'd say I love you, but you're already leaving.


	2. I hate goodbyes

Sakura sighed and slumped over dejectedly, her state of mind slowly being overcome by boredom. She shifted slightly on the uncomfortable earth, stretched her legs and sighed again. She looked out into the distance where only trees lined the worn road. The path seemed to stretch forever until it almost merged with the horizon in the distance. She leaned back onto her hands and looked up to the sky. The sky was clear, a beautiful hue except for one white cloud marring the serene ocean blue.

"Aren't you lonely, pretty cloud?" she thought aloud.

The cloud spared her no answer as it moved slowly and softly across the sky. It moved farther away from her, the cottony picture waving no goodbyes, only stealing quietly away from the girl.

"Can't you say goodbye?" she asked, irritated and dying from boredom, a scowl forming.

She looked out again at the lonely road. "What's taking them so long?"

Her expression softened as she started to daydream mindlessly, painting pretty pictures in her head. Her fingers idly twirled patterns into the dirt ground as she waited. She would wait all day if she had to.

She did not even notice the silent figure standing behind her, watching over her lonely form with sad eyes before walking away, leaving her there alone on the ground.

_Mommy…Daddy…_

_When are you coming home?_

_-_

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Our happiest moments are our shortest, but the memories of bright past lifetimes last forever.

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Reach

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Naruto paced around, his steps agitated and quick. He stopped for a moment and put his hands over his face, rubbing his eyes roughly.

"AARGH! Sakura-chan, where are youuuuu?" he cried into the night sky. When no one replied he turned his head swiftly to look at the apathetic dark haired boy leaning against the bridge with an annoyed expression.

"Teme, why are you such an emotional defect?"

Sasuke didn't answer which only further irritated Naruto who narrowed his eyes at him. He regarded the silent boy for a moment and then looked away.

A few minutes tick by softly.

"BOOOO!"

………

Naruto got an elbow in the face for his failed attempt to scare Sasuke.

A few minutes tick by loudly as Naruto grumbled over the insensitivity of the bastard.

After Naruto had judged he was calm enough to not elbow him again, Naruto nudged the stoic boy in the side. Finally, Sasuke turned to regard the other boy silently, his expression blank.

"Where do you think Sakura-chan is?" Naruto asked solemnly.

Sasuke's expression didn't change but he turned his head away from Naruto. The dark-haired boy's eyebrows furrowed the tiniest bit as a hint of worry crawled onto his face.

_Where are you, Sakura?_

And the hour passed by slowly as no little pink haired girl coming home graced them with her much wanted appearance.

-

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I can fly, free as a bird, going here, there, everywhere in the world. But I wouldn't go anywhere without you.

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_Wherever you are, Sakura…just come back._

_I…_

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Sasuke exhaled with a bit more force than usual and pushed himself away from the bridge. Naruto had already taken off, saying Iruka was treating him to ramen. It had been a week since the funeral and Sakura had still not come back to training. Neither Kakashi nor Naruto had seen her around town and the Hokage had no idea of her whereabouts. Naruto had wanted to visit her at home but when they had gone, no one was home. Sasuke was not used to life without her presence.

He sighed in frustration and began to walk with no destination in mind. His thoughts wandered carelessly, thinking about the night he confronted her.

_You don't know what it feels like, losing your family!_

His fists clenched unconsciously and he gritted his teeth.

He had not meant to be so harsh. He had never meant to hit her. But he realized in his mind that he had intended to hurt her.

_You're weak, Sasuke-kun._

Shit. He had.

_Because what you say hurts me._

A shadow suddenly appeared over him and he stopped abruptly, looking up.

Kakashi stood there, one hand in his pocket, another holding his book in front of his face, his trademark slouch apparent. He pulled out his other hand and raised two fingers.

"Yo."

-

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Somehow, you can make time in my world stand still. Just one look from you and I'm falling.

-

-

Sakura was becoming tired. She had not bothered to leave to go get a meal because she didn't feel hungry. She hadn't felt the urge to eat for a very long time, and even though she knew it was unhealthy, she couldn't bring herself to eat. The thought of it made her feel dizzy.

She shifted and laid down on her side, her face still facing the long road, her eyes open still watching. She didn't care about the dust on the ground and the uncomfortable unevenness of it. The sky was starting to darken and she blew the bangs out of her face, in the process, causing dust to swirl into her eyes.

She rubbed at them, the dust irritating her eyes. When she could see again, her eyes widened and her face brightened and she quickly jumped up, seeing something in the distance.

Her expression fell however, when she realized she had only been seeing things. She lay back down on the ground dejectedly, curling up into a loose ball and stayed quiet. After a while, her eyes started to droop shut and before she could help it, she had fallen asleep.

-

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Don't wake me up. I'm only happy when I dream.

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Sasuke finally caught sight of her in the distance after his long trek to the gates of Konoha.

She's waiting, Kakashi had said.

His eyes widened as he realized that her form lying still on the ground. He abruptly started running towards her, concern creeping onto his face. Sasuke finally reached her and walked around her to kneel down in front of her face. He hesitated from shaking her awake for a moment.

Her bangs hid her closed eyes from him slightly and her shoulders moved up and down slowly with each silent breath she took. Her head was resting on her arm which was outstretched and her other arm had come up beneath her chin, loosely fisted. Her arms were thin.

The wind rustled gently and swept her hair around her bare shoulders.

Sasuke quickly reached out one arm and shook her softly. As he touched her shoulder, he realized it was colder than he would have been comfortable with it being. She did not shift and he shook her harder, impatient.

"Sakura."

Sakura's head rolled off her shoulder and her eyes opened halfway slowly. She turned her head upwards to see a shadow loom over her small figure. The light was fading in the background and she squinted, disorientated and confused. Sasuke was mesmerized by her face, the fading sunlight setting a sort of glow on her face. He watched as she stared confusedly up at him.

Her lips opened to speak and a soft, weak whisper came out.

"Daddy?"

Sasuke froze. He felt a surge of pity hit him but he pushed it back into the back of his mind.

Sakura sat up slowly and rubbed at her eyes as Sasuke's hand slid off her shoulder. When she opened her eyes again, she looked around her and took in the trees and the hard ground and drooped slightly.

"Oh. Sasuke-kun. What are you doing here?"

Sasuke stared at her, his expression blank.

_She's waiting._

-

-

_I thought you were waiting for me._

-

-

I'm just waiting for my happy ever after, that pretty prince charming…my knight in shining armor. I can be a princess if I want to be, as long as it isn't reality.

-

-

He cleared his throat and then stood up, looking down at her. "What are _you_ doing here? You haven't come to training for a week."

She peered around him at the road and then sighed, rubbing her eyes again. She opened her mouth to speak but a yawn overcame her.

Sasuke frowned. "Go home."

She looked up at him finally and shifted to sit with her knees bent up, her arms hugging her legs. She rested her head on her knees and smiled up at him.

"Did you come looking for me, Sasuke-kun?"

He ignored her inquiry. "Sakura, what are you doing?"

She stared at him as if it was most obvious.

"I'm waiting."

_She's waiting._

She smiled at him again and then returned to looking out at the road, even as the sunlight was still diminishing, the sun disappearing in the distant horizon.

-

-

_What are you waiting for, Sakura?_

-

-

Sasuke looked down at her and with a start, he realized that her eyes were sad. He turned his head away quickly, uncomfortable. Without realizing it, he fidgeted quietly, his thoughts agitating him.

"Sakura."

His voice was deep.

She looked up at him with a start. Only after a moment of silence, she had forgotten his presence.

"Sasuke-kun?"

"I…Naruto's worried about you," he finally said, not looking at her. He stared past her, at Konoha.

She smiled softly and nodded. "Can you tell him not to? I'm fine."

He looked down sharply at her. "No, you're not," he said, starting to become angry. She was not fine. Her eyes…

They were lonely.

_We have the same eyes._

She stared at him, surprised. "Wh-what?" she asked, confused.

"Don't pretend to be okay when you're not. It's pathetic."

Her eyes widened.

He sighed and then backtracked. "Just don't disappear like that without telling us."

Sakura looked down and started to feel guilty. "I'm sorry. I didn't think you would care."

"I don't," Sasuke snapped before cursing silently.

Sakura flinched.

_Shit. Why do I keep doing that?_

They stayed quiet for a moment.

"Sakura," he said again after a while.

She looked up at him again, her eyes dull.

He met her gaze and hesitated for a moment. "I'm sorry for…" Sasuke trailed off, swallowing hard. He still hated his slip of control, resulting in getting Sakura hurt.

"I'm sorry I hurt you."

His voice quiet and deep but full of regret.

She stared at him. "Sa-Sasuke-kun…did you just apologize?"

He quickly turned his head away, feeling the heat on his cheeks and cursing the awkward situation.

"It's your fault if you didn't hear it the first time."

She stayed silent for a while and then whispered, "Thank you, Sasuke-kun."

He closed his eyes and felt shame wash over him.

"I am also sorry about what I said…I didn't know-"

"It's okay, Sasuke-kun," Sakura cut him off quickly. She quickly stood up and came closer to him, putting her hand lightly on his arm, quickly retracting it when he stiffened. She looked down and spoke softly.

"You were right. I had no right to say such things to you." She smiled softly and looked up at him.

He looked confusedly at her.

She looked up at him and smiled hesitantly before getting back down on the ground, resuming her previous position. The small smile stayed upon her lips as she thought about the dark-haired boy.

Sasuke looked down at her and realized she wasn't going to go back. He pondered curiously for a while before finally opening his mouth to speak.

"What are you waiting for?"

There was a moment of silence while Sakura got over the shock that he had voluntarily talked to her again. She had forgotten his presence again. Sasuke watched as her head perked up quickly as she looked at him confusedly, as if she had forgotten he was there. He frowned, not liking her reaction.

"I-I'm waiting…for my parents to come home," she said slowly, looking up at him, her eyes duller than the usual shade.

His brows furrowed together. "What?" he hissed. Then he forced his tone to be less harsh. "Didn't you parents-"

"They're still alive. The rescue team just hasn't found them yet," she said abruptly. She closed her eyes and smiled brightly up at him. "I wanna be here when they come home."

Sasuke wanted to smack that silly smile off her face.

She opened her eyes and stared at him. "I know you think I'm crazy, but their bodies were never found. You can't just assume they died. My parents are strong," she said, her voice clear and full of hope.

"They're just a little late," she said, her voice starting to trail off as she turned her head to look at the long road ahead of them.

Sasuke felt something inside his stomach churn and he flinched unwillingly. As he stared down at her, he felt something tearing inside of him.

What was this feeling inside of him?

Sakura turned to him when he didn't say anything and her eyes widened. He watched as she narrowed them at him and he could only stay silent in shock as she spoke.

"_Don't pity me."_

Sakura had seen the expression on his face and she had been shocked that he had let his feelings show through. Next, she had felt a sudden surge of anger coursing through her when she recognized the expression upon his pretty face.

Sasuke stared shocked. He had not realized…had not understood the immense amount of pity he felt towards Sakura. The girl…she was so lost, stubbornly clinging to a hope that her parents were still alive. The feeling he had felt earlier when she had mistaken him for her father…he had really felt sorry for her.

I…pity you?

"I hate it when people look down on me like that," she spat out, her figure starting to tremble.

Sasuke took a step back when she stood up abruptly, her fists clenched tightly against her sides. He watched, shocked, as she became consumed by anger.

"All of you, you, Naruto, Kakashi-sensei, you always pitied me for being _weak_."

Sakura spat the last word.

"I hate you and Naruto protecting me."

It's always me and Naruto watching out for you

"I hate being called weak."

_You're weak._

A moment of silence as Sakura tried to calm down. She turns away from him and her eyes seem distant. She took a quiet, shaky breath before sinking down onto the ground again, exhausted. Her eyes close as she can feel the slight sensation of tears starting to form but she refuses to cry.

She whispered so softly that Sasuke almost missed it.

"I hate being left behind."

_I hate goodbyes._

-

-

Mommy…Daddy…

_Is it time to say goodbye?_

-

-

I would prefer to say, "See you later!" But that's a promise that we risk breaking every time. It's just so much more painful to say goodbye.


	3. A Moment

Sasuke watched her silently as Sakura struggled to hold back her tears. To his silent surprise, she succeeded and when she looked up again, her eyes were clear again. She did not look at him or open her mouth to speak.

After a moment of silence, he cleared his throat uncomfortably. She sighed.

"Sorry, Sasuke-kun. I didn't mean to get all upset," she said quietly.

He nodded.

She became quiet after that and he started to feel exasperated that she was not the talkative child she used to be. He missed that Sakura; in fact, he _wanted_ that Sakura back, rather than this shell of Sakura.

That Sakura, she was bright and lively, like a spark, a flame that gave life. The sad girl before him now was a bird with broken wings, unable to fly.

He deemed it a great loss.

He let out a frustrated breath before walking briskly over to her and taking her arm. She looked up at him in quiet surprise.

"It's getting late. We should go home," he said before pulling her up.

She got to her feet unsteadily and his hands came to her waist reflexively, helping her steady herself. She felt herself blush slightly at the contact and he immediately withdrew them when he was sure she was fine by herself and looked away.

She flashed him a grateful smile.

When she did not move, Sasuke quickly took her hand without looking and tugged her along.

Her eyes widened slightly in surprise as he led her back inside Konoha, his hand warming hers. She walked slowly, slightly behind him and continued staring at his back.

He kept his face forward, not saying a word.

Soon, her house neared and he stopped suddenly so that she almost bumped into him. Tugging her hand again, he brought her in front of him and let go suddenly so that she stumbled forward.

He stuck his hands forcefully in his pockets and looked away.

"Make sure you eat dinner."

She turned back to him and bowed her head, her eyes still a bit wide.

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun."

He grunted after a short embarrassed silence.

She smiled.

When he didn't move, she turned and went to her door, opening it softly and going in before taking one last look at the dark-haired boy standing outside. His brow was furrowed slightly and his mouth was pulled down in an irritable scowl but what was most endearing was the slight blush that his cheeks held.

She stifled a laugh and closed the door softly.

His head turned to look back at the house when Sakura entered and he didn't leave until the lights turned on.

A small smirk graced his handsome features as he made his way back to the Uchiha mansion.

-

-

As I stumble blind in the darkness, fear closing in, restricting my breath, disintegrating my will to live, a ray of light hits me.

A memory, a truth, a promise.

_You are not alone._

_So do not give up hope._

_Put your hand in mine, for I am at your side._

_I can give you sight._

And I can see.

-

-

Reach

-

-

"SAKURA-CHAN! SAKURA-CHAN! SAKURA-CHAN! SAKU…EH?? SAKURA-CHAN? SAKURA-CHAN? AHHH SASUKE-TEME, HELP!"

Sakura found herself hopelessly at the mercy of an exuberant blonde boy whose object of unadulterated interest was _her_. His strong arms were wrapped tightly around her small waist and she felt herself growing dizzy as he swung her around and around, ecstatic that she was back. Not to mention, her supply of oxygen was steadily decreasing and she did not have the heart to bonk Naruto painfully on the head as she usually would in this situation.

Her thoughts wandered as she was being unintentionally throttled by the young kyubi. She pondered why Sasuke was there when she woke up and why he had insisted on staying with her until she had gotten safely home. Her lips curved up in a soft smile, remembering his rare act of kindness, but her lips slowly grew slack like her body as she could feel the energy draining slowly out of her body. Probably the side effects of over training without the steady influx of food, she concluded briefly. She had forgotten to eat dinner, instead, had went right to bed and fallen asleep.

Her body, exhausted, sagged weakly against Naruto's strong one and she closed her eyes for a short moment, telling herself she would just rest a bit here, in Naruto's safe hold. Naruto, feeling her body go limp, immediately panicked and he pulled back a little to see her pale face and closed eyes. His own cerulean eyes widened and shook her lightly this time, gently. When she did not respond, his head whipped toward the Uchiha, his whole body tense.

Sasuke had previously stayed a few steps away, letting Naruto embrace Sakura. His face was turned and his eyes closed irritably as the blonde let out his wails of happiness and joy that his 'beloved Sakura-chan' had finally returned to his side. He sighed in annoyance as he glimpsed a look and saw that Naruto was practically smothering Sakura. His hands twitched, itching to throw Naruto off her, but he knew the blond had worried for a while about their orphaned teammate.

They were all orphans now, he realized with a start.

He turned away again, remembering Sakura's words to him.

How she hated being left behind.

His brow furrowed, relaying his slight distress at her words. He did not like it when she put herself down like that. The sad picture of a little orphan girl was too hard for him to swallow and he hated to see a sad Sakura wallowing in her grief and weakness.

His senses picked up Naruto's anxiety and his eyes shot open immediately when Naruto called to him. He was at the blonde's side instantly and his automatically turned sharigan eyes looked down at the still girl in Naruto's arms.

Naruto blinked as Sakura was ripped away from his hold.

He looked up, surprised to see Sasuke supporting her and her confused emerald eyes open. She looked up at Sasuke and was shocked to see him staring down intently at her with his eyes blazing furiously. Naruto blinked again and then scowled.

"HEY! What was that for, Sasuke-teme?!" he demanded angrily, put out that his time with Sakura-chan was cut short.

Sasuke kept his arm around Sakura's waist, steadying her, and turned to Naruto. His voice was soft with an underlying tone of anger. "If you hadn't noticed, you were crushing her, dobe."

Naruto opened his mouth to retort but then shut it, realizing he probably had gone overboard in his joy. He grumbled unhappily before crossing his arms and looking away.

Sasuke looked back down at Sakura who was still staring at him with a confused expression. He forced himself to calm down before speaking, frowning down at her.

"You need to take better care of yourself. Did you eat dinner last night?"

He saw a flash of irritation cross her features before she sighed.

"I…I forgot."

His frown deepened. "When's the last time you ate?" he pressed.

He watched as she pressed her lips tightly together stubbornly before she sighed again.

"I don't remember."

He bit back a curse. He slid his arm from her waist and then snagged her hand. Her head jerked up in surprise as he tugged her along after him as he began walking.

"S-Sasuke-kun?"

"Dobe, come on. We're getting breakfast."

Naruto whipped his head back towards them and his gloomy expression disappeared, his ear splitting grin back on his face. "Yeah! Let's go!" he cried and ran over to Sakura's other side, grabbing her free hand, catching her before she could stumble from Sasuke's quick pace.

Naruto gave her a smile as she looked up gratefully to give him thanks.

"Sakura-chan."

Sasuke continued staring ahead, his expression blank, his other hand stuffed down his pocket.

She gazed up at Naruto, waiting for what he had to say.

Naruto's grip on her small hand tightened. His smile was soft and sincere, his expression serious, as he looked down at her. It was a rare thing that Sakura see the exuberant Naruto be serious. His voice when he spoke was not loud and bright as it usually was, but sad and genuine.

"Sasuke-teme and I, we like watching out for you."

Tired emerald eyes widened.

Naruto's voice was slightly admonishing. "So don't feel left behind, ne?"

Sasuke stayed silent, his expression blank as ever. Unconsciously, his hand tightened ever so slightly around hers, but she felt it.

A small smile graced her porcelain face as she walked into the Ichiraku ramen stand with her two best friends in the world.

"Okay."

-

-

Breakfast was beautiful. Sakura had never had such a good breakfast, and it was _ramen!_ She never thought that ramen would taste so good. She imagined that if she would have to give friendship a taste, it would be the delicate, serene waft of ramen noodles.

She expressed her thought out loud. Naruto gave her an agreeing thumbs up as he stuffed his face into another bowl of ramen and Sasuke only raised his eyebrows at her words.

She laughed joyously and both boys were secretly relieved to hear her bright laughter again. Sasuke had not realized how much he had missed it until he heard it again. He smirked roguishly into his ramen as Sakura dug enthusiastically into hers, simultaneously smacking Naruto on the back as he choked on his own, having slurped up the noodles too fast.

Sakura seemed almost back to normal now, except for the bags under her eyes and the chalkiness of her pale complexion.

Sasuke did not dwell too much on the fact. She had started eating and in time, she would heal slowly.

Sakura finished her ramen and she sighed happily. She twisted in her seat and Sasuke felt anger flare up as she embraced Naruto tightly. He watched as Naruto turned bright red and stuttered uncomprehendingly as Sakura hugged him.

Sasuke viciously tried to beat down his anger (or was it jealousy) and looked away, his hands clenched tightly on the table.

He looked up in time to see Sakura turn to him happily. He watched as she flashed him a quick smile before leaning in to give him a quick, sweet peck on the cheek. His onyx eyes widened and he felt his cheeks burn brightly before he quickly ducked down and tried to ignore the way his ears were flaming bright red.

Naruto laughed at his reaction but Sakura was oblivious as she gave Sasuke a quick hug, whispering a heartfelt thank you into his ear.

She pulled away and Sasuke almost audibly protested the leaving of the soft warmth. Digging into her pockets, she pulled out a few coins and laid them out on the table, smiling.

"Breakfast's on me, guys! Let's go train!"

She hopped off her stool and wobbled unsteadily for a second before two hands shot out and steadied her. The boys glared heatedly at each other but quickly looked back to Sakura as she smiled gratefully at them.

"C'mon! It'll be bad if we're even later than Kakashi-sensei!"

She laughed at the thought and the boys reveled in her sweet laughter for the second time that day. Naruto nodded enthusiastically and Sasuke gave his silent approval.

The boys hopped off their stools and the three best friends stepped out of the ramen booth into the bright sun, stopping for a moment to bask peacefully in its warmth.

Sakura smiled and slipped her hands into Naruto's and Sasuke's and squeezed them, conveying her gratitude again.

"Let's go, ne?"

"Yeah! Dattebayo!"

"Hn. Dobe."

"Teme!"

A smack to the head.

"Awww, but Sakura-chan!"

A ticking of the vein.

"Don't call Sasuke-kun that!"

A handsome smirk and an adorable pout.

Sakura cannot help but smile.

-

-

If just for a moment, you help me forget my pain.

If just for a moment.

It's worth it.


End file.
